-If I recall correctly, today was a pretty nice day, at times warm and sunny. Unfortunately, it seems that I spent must of the sunlight hours either asleep or in a building facing away from windows.
-Speaking of windows, today I tried to clean the windows in our living room. Surprisingly, I went to the extent of taking them out and placing them on the floor so that I could properly clean both sides. The only problem with all of this was that our $1 window cleaner just isn’t that good. Instead of nice, clean windows, we have clean-ish windows with a white-ish film.
At least there was some improvement, as I don’t think that I could have handled looking through incredibly dirty windows all winter long.
-Today in my business information class the director of Concordia’s libraries addressed us. I guess this was on schedule, but I seem to have overlooked it, as I was somewhat surprised by his presence. Actually, I am pretty sure it was on the schedule; I just didn’t quite pay attention to his title.
-After class I made a batch of humus. Maybe in a few minutes I will get around to sampling it before I go to bed.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Sunday, November 11, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 130
-Today seemed a little warmer than yesterday, though on the crisp side of things. Other than that it was pretty unexciting in terms of weather.
-For breakfast this morning I made myself some scones. It has been a while since I have done this, something that I was reminded of during a conversation on the topic a few days ago. Unfortunately, the scones didn’t have quite the right texture, though they were still quite edible.
-For the past few hours I have been preparing a batch of beef stew for dinner. In a short while I will try to peel the potatoes and add them, finishing the last major step before the product is to be served.
-Since we put the curtain up last night Nithum has been taking advantage of his added privacy, something that I don’t find surprising at all. As far as I know, the curtains haven’t actually been fully opened since they were installed.
-I have been reading a fair bit about Access to Information laws over the past few days. Not only do I have to assist in the preparation of a presentation on the topic, but I also have to write an archives related paper on the subject.
-All week Nithum and I had been looking forward to the Saturday and Sunday only 50% off bacon sale at the local grocery store. Unfortunately, by the time that I made it to the store late this morning they had sold out. In the end I just purchased some crackers, garlic, and discount flour.
-For breakfast this morning I made myself some scones. It has been a while since I have done this, something that I was reminded of during a conversation on the topic a few days ago. Unfortunately, the scones didn’t have quite the right texture, though they were still quite edible.
-For the past few hours I have been preparing a batch of beef stew for dinner. In a short while I will try to peel the potatoes and add them, finishing the last major step before the product is to be served.
-Since we put the curtain up last night Nithum has been taking advantage of his added privacy, something that I don’t find surprising at all. As far as I know, the curtains haven’t actually been fully opened since they were installed.
-I have been reading a fair bit about Access to Information laws over the past few days. Not only do I have to assist in the preparation of a presentation on the topic, but I also have to write an archives related paper on the subject.
-All week Nithum and I had been looking forward to the Saturday and Sunday only 50% off bacon sale at the local grocery store. Unfortunately, by the time that I made it to the store late this morning they had sold out. In the end I just purchased some crackers, garlic, and discount flour.
A New Era of Privacy
Shortly after Nithum returned home this evening it was decided that tonight would be the night that we installed a privacy curtain in his room.
For the past two months we have had both the curtains and the curtain wire needed to complete the job. The only thing missing was the motivation, something that we both seemed to never quite find.
Not surprisingly, the job only took us about 20 minutes or so. Nithum has since been basking in his newfound privacy. Though I don’t think that I will be gaining privacy, I am looking forward to feeling more comfortable about using the bathroom in the middle of the night without walking through the heart of Nithum’s room.
For the past two months we have had both the curtains and the curtain wire needed to complete the job. The only thing missing was the motivation, something that we both seemed to never quite find.
Not surprisingly, the job only took us about 20 minutes or so. Nithum has since been basking in his newfound privacy. Though I don’t think that I will be gaining privacy, I am looking forward to feeling more comfortable about using the bathroom in the middle of the night without walking through the heart of Nithum’s room.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 129
-The temperature has definitely dropped. It seems that we are now at about -4, and scheduled to go as low as -6 (what a change). More surprising was that while out this afternoon I saw several iced over puddles. Why this is surprising is that according to Environment Canada we were above freezing for most of today’s sunlight hours.
-On Friday I was named replacement judge for a mustache contest held at the library school. As I did not have time to prepare my judging criteria, I decided to go with only two categories, size and style (shortly after announcing the criteria and starting the judging I realized that these were horrible criteria). Hopefully the contestants and spectators were pleased with the affair, though in retrospect I realize that I could have talked it up a bit more, made more of a show out of the whole thing. I guess in this case I will blame my lack of preparation.
-The director of libraries was not able to make her scheduled appearance at the library school on Friday. Unfortunately, there was a death in her family that required her to leave the country for some number of days. Under the circumstances her staff filled in as best as possible, though it made the question and answer session a little less heated then I expected.
-After work last night I was able to have a few drinks with some library school (and archives) types. Upon leaving Thomson House we went to Bifteck (sp?) on St. Laurent. While at the bar on St. Laurent I witnessed some of the most aggressive tip demanding that I have ever seen, though to a more limited affect than had the people at my table been completely sober. Thinking that people who had been drinking for 8.5 hours could reasonably do math in a loud bar was expecting a bit much on the waitress’s part.
-After a hiatus of a few weeks, I once again did some baking today. Though I originally planned on baking some cookies, I ended up baking two loaves of bread. Maybe while taking a break from school work tomorrow I will try to bake some cookies or some other form of dessert (though I think that chocolate chip cookies are really the most likely dish).
-On Friday I was named replacement judge for a mustache contest held at the library school. As I did not have time to prepare my judging criteria, I decided to go with only two categories, size and style (shortly after announcing the criteria and starting the judging I realized that these were horrible criteria). Hopefully the contestants and spectators were pleased with the affair, though in retrospect I realize that I could have talked it up a bit more, made more of a show out of the whole thing. I guess in this case I will blame my lack of preparation.
-The director of libraries was not able to make her scheduled appearance at the library school on Friday. Unfortunately, there was a death in her family that required her to leave the country for some number of days. Under the circumstances her staff filled in as best as possible, though it made the question and answer session a little less heated then I expected.
-After work last night I was able to have a few drinks with some library school (and archives) types. Upon leaving Thomson House we went to Bifteck (sp?) on St. Laurent. While at the bar on St. Laurent I witnessed some of the most aggressive tip demanding that I have ever seen, though to a more limited affect than had the people at my table been completely sober. Thinking that people who had been drinking for 8.5 hours could reasonably do math in a loud bar was expecting a bit much on the waitress’s part.
-After a hiatus of a few weeks, I once again did some baking today. Though I originally planned on baking some cookies, I ended up baking two loaves of bread. Maybe while taking a break from school work tomorrow I will try to bake some cookies or some other form of dessert (though I think that chocolate chip cookies are really the most likely dish).
Friday, November 09, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 128
-Both yesterday and today Montreal has experienced flurries, though in neither case did these have any real staying power. As one might expect, for this to have happened the temperature is relatively low, though my no means unpleasant. Actually, I have not started to wear a hat or scarf yet, something that might be necessary if they temperature continues to drop.
-Tomorrow is a big day at the library school. Not only will the director of libraries be giving a talk about the future directions of McGill libraries, but this will be followed by a school wide mustache competition.
If you are wondering, there will be at least two divisions in the mustache competition, all-natural and artificial. As of yet I am not quite sure if I will enter or not, and if so in which division.
-Today, while at school, I had the opportunity to watch the documentary “The Hollywood Librarian.” Unfortunately, I wasn’t all that impressed. The film seemed to want to cover all things library and proceeded to do so in a somewhat haphazard fashion. The one element that seemed to receive little attention was how libraries and librarians are portrayed by Hollywood. I was glad that admission was free, though as one of my professors commented, it did cost an hour and a half of my time (which may have been a bit too steep a price for admission in this case).
-I had to go on a herbal tea run tonight. As it is project season I am up to about 5 or six cups a night.
-Tonight I made a batch of humus with a grinder that I borrowed from my mother. In the past I had to use a food mill and found the process to be very slow and inefficient. With the new (actually it is quite old) I was able to grind the chick peas in just two or three minutes.
-Tomorrow is a big day at the library school. Not only will the director of libraries be giving a talk about the future directions of McGill libraries, but this will be followed by a school wide mustache competition.
If you are wondering, there will be at least two divisions in the mustache competition, all-natural and artificial. As of yet I am not quite sure if I will enter or not, and if so in which division.
-Today, while at school, I had the opportunity to watch the documentary “The Hollywood Librarian.” Unfortunately, I wasn’t all that impressed. The film seemed to want to cover all things library and proceeded to do so in a somewhat haphazard fashion. The one element that seemed to receive little attention was how libraries and librarians are portrayed by Hollywood. I was glad that admission was free, though as one of my professors commented, it did cost an hour and a half of my time (which may have been a bit too steep a price for admission in this case).
-I had to go on a herbal tea run tonight. As it is project season I am up to about 5 or six cups a night.
-Tonight I made a batch of humus with a grinder that I borrowed from my mother. In the past I had to use a food mill and found the process to be very slow and inefficient. With the new (actually it is quite old) I was able to grind the chick peas in just two or three minutes.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Apartment Update
Nithum and I have not been in our apartment for just more than two months. Slowly, we seem to be settling in and making the place feel (a little) more like home. Though, since we moved in we have had to deal with a few unexpected issues, some of which have been resolved, some of which haven’t.
-We have not noticed any mice for a number of weeks. It seems that the traditional traps were effective at killing mice, and also at scaring them away.
-The main door has been fixed, allowing us to exit and enter the apartment with ease. In its broken state, the door frequently prevented proper use of the door. In one case, Nithum and I were actually unable to leave the apartment for some number of minutes. The best part of the arrangement is that Nithum and I now know what the problem is so that if it occurs again (which is likely) we will know how to safely exit the apartment.
-While we have been planning to install a curtain in Nithum’s room to create a hallway like area that would connect to his door to my door we have still made no serious moves in this direction. The curtains have been in the living room for almost two months and the curtain wire set has been in the closet for longer. Maybe we will get around to doing this before we move out, but it wouldn’t surprise me if we don’t (as we are not all that motivated when it comes to such things).
-After a few weeks I finally got around to buying some plants. Though they aren’t quite as fancy as they could be, my thyme and basil plants are fitting the bill quite nicely. Actually, they are looking a little ragged, but that’s ok.
A few days ago they were actually supplemented with some birdseed, the idea being that we might get some wheat and sunflowers to grow alongside the basil and thyme. So far this plan seems to be working, but none of the new plants are well enough defined for me to know what we actually have growing with the herbs. My hope is that we get a few stalks of wheat and maybe a sunflower or two.
-Our living room really shaped up quite nicely. We now have a futon, a stuffed chair, an office chair, a coffee table, and a shelving unit. All of these items are used on a regular basis. Generally, having a living room has greatly added to our quality of life. It seems that both of us use this room on a daily basis.
-Unfortunately, our kitchen faucet seems to drip a fair bit. From time to times it seems that this problem can be solved by applying a great deal of pressure to the handles, while at other times it seems like something that we just have to live with. It seems unfortunate to waste so much water every day.
-Something that we have noticed more recently, particularly with the central heating system now fully functional, is that we are experiencing a relatively loud banging/jack hammering sound coming from the radiator pipes. While this banging does not go on all day, when it is present it is quite noticeable it both of our bedrooms. What is more problematic is that both of us sleep with our heads near the radiators, and source of the sound.
-Aside form the banging sound, the heating season has also brought about unreasonably high temperatures in our apartment. For much of this fall we have had to have several windows, and occasionally the balcony door, open.
-Shortly after we moved in we found that we have only one functional phone jack. The jack is located in Nithum’s room, almost as far away as possible from my room. Several weeks ago the plan was to purchase a splitter and extension cable so that I could have phone access in my room. Though as time has passed and no progress has been made in this direction, I have come to realize that I am not all that dissatisfied with the current situation. My current phone use is at an all-time low. I would guess that I am now down to less than a phone call a week (which is great). I can only imagine that my use of the telephone would increase with direct phone access. Additionally, by not having a phone in my room my sleep is less likely to be disturbed by incoming phone calls.
-It seems that our oven does not heat all that evenly. On several occasions I have managed to find that the bottom of whatever I am cooking is burning yet the center is still raw. Unfortunately, I have ideas as to how this problem might be rectified, aside from being given an all-new appliance (something that I don’t think is going to happen).
-We have not noticed any mice for a number of weeks. It seems that the traditional traps were effective at killing mice, and also at scaring them away.
-The main door has been fixed, allowing us to exit and enter the apartment with ease. In its broken state, the door frequently prevented proper use of the door. In one case, Nithum and I were actually unable to leave the apartment for some number of minutes. The best part of the arrangement is that Nithum and I now know what the problem is so that if it occurs again (which is likely) we will know how to safely exit the apartment.
-While we have been planning to install a curtain in Nithum’s room to create a hallway like area that would connect to his door to my door we have still made no serious moves in this direction. The curtains have been in the living room for almost two months and the curtain wire set has been in the closet for longer. Maybe we will get around to doing this before we move out, but it wouldn’t surprise me if we don’t (as we are not all that motivated when it comes to such things).
-After a few weeks I finally got around to buying some plants. Though they aren’t quite as fancy as they could be, my thyme and basil plants are fitting the bill quite nicely. Actually, they are looking a little ragged, but that’s ok.
A few days ago they were actually supplemented with some birdseed, the idea being that we might get some wheat and sunflowers to grow alongside the basil and thyme. So far this plan seems to be working, but none of the new plants are well enough defined for me to know what we actually have growing with the herbs. My hope is that we get a few stalks of wheat and maybe a sunflower or two.
-Our living room really shaped up quite nicely. We now have a futon, a stuffed chair, an office chair, a coffee table, and a shelving unit. All of these items are used on a regular basis. Generally, having a living room has greatly added to our quality of life. It seems that both of us use this room on a daily basis.
-Unfortunately, our kitchen faucet seems to drip a fair bit. From time to times it seems that this problem can be solved by applying a great deal of pressure to the handles, while at other times it seems like something that we just have to live with. It seems unfortunate to waste so much water every day.
-Something that we have noticed more recently, particularly with the central heating system now fully functional, is that we are experiencing a relatively loud banging/jack hammering sound coming from the radiator pipes. While this banging does not go on all day, when it is present it is quite noticeable it both of our bedrooms. What is more problematic is that both of us sleep with our heads near the radiators, and source of the sound.
-Aside form the banging sound, the heating season has also brought about unreasonably high temperatures in our apartment. For much of this fall we have had to have several windows, and occasionally the balcony door, open.
-Shortly after we moved in we found that we have only one functional phone jack. The jack is located in Nithum’s room, almost as far away as possible from my room. Several weeks ago the plan was to purchase a splitter and extension cable so that I could have phone access in my room. Though as time has passed and no progress has been made in this direction, I have come to realize that I am not all that dissatisfied with the current situation. My current phone use is at an all-time low. I would guess that I am now down to less than a phone call a week (which is great). I can only imagine that my use of the telephone would increase with direct phone access. Additionally, by not having a phone in my room my sleep is less likely to be disturbed by incoming phone calls.
-It seems that our oven does not heat all that evenly. On several occasions I have managed to find that the bottom of whatever I am cooking is burning yet the center is still raw. Unfortunately, I have ideas as to how this problem might be rectified, aside from being given an all-new appliance (something that I don’t think is going to happen).
Monday, November 05, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 127
-Today was another relatively nice fall day. It seemed warmer than yesterday, though I have not evidence to support this statement. In some was this was a little disappointing, mainly because I had hoped to wear a particular jacket but found that it was too warm for an insulated jacket.
-For the first time this academic year I went on the hunt for printer paper. Since my arrival I have not found a particular convenient location for buying this product. Actually, that is not completely true, if I wanted to be ripped off, I could go to the McGill bookstore.
As it stands I tend to make the trek to the Gare Centrale and the Staples housed within. Though this is further away than I would like, it does give me the pleasurable experience of walking underground for several blocks. Additionally, my sense is that it is actually faster to walk inside than above ground because one no longer has to cross streets and wait for traffic.
As with my last purchase, I bought to bundles of 500 sheets apiece. I was pleased to find exactly what I was looking for at the front of the store and on sale.
-Several days ago signs appeared indicating that the McGill director of libraries is to be making an appearance at the library school this Friday. This, as some of you may know, was a somewhat surprising announcement as the relations between the library and the library school appear to be less than friendly. Students are now keenly awaiting the post-talk question and answer period, hoping that they will be able to learn why certain decisions have been made over the past number of years.
-Last night, for the first time as an employee of Thomson House I had the opportunity to work at a formal function. Though I did not know it when the shift was assigned, I was to be working a 20 year high school reunion.
After we finished the set-up I was assigned the door position. For the first 3 and a half hours of the event I just sat by the front door and directed people to the reunion and told them were they would find the coatroom. On a number of occasions I also directed individuals towards the bathrooms. Generally it was a pretty easy position, and one that cut me off from the reunion proper.
At about 10:00 I finally had an opportunity to learn about what had been happening for the previous 4 hours. Apparently, on top of not having enough of the main course, beef on sticks, the cash register broke. It seems that not all of the organizers were able to deal with these problems in stride and some of them became quite upset.
My sense was that after the food situation was sorted out things started to calm down. At least I didn’t have any problems. Though in all fairness to my co-workers, I think that I missed basically all of the problems.
-Today I started to work on my paper for my archives class. It seems that I will be doing something on the relationship of access to information laws and archives, presumably governmental archives (most probably just provincial, municipal, and national), though in some cases particular collections in other collections may deserve attention.
-For the first time this academic year I went on the hunt for printer paper. Since my arrival I have not found a particular convenient location for buying this product. Actually, that is not completely true, if I wanted to be ripped off, I could go to the McGill bookstore.
As it stands I tend to make the trek to the Gare Centrale and the Staples housed within. Though this is further away than I would like, it does give me the pleasurable experience of walking underground for several blocks. Additionally, my sense is that it is actually faster to walk inside than above ground because one no longer has to cross streets and wait for traffic.
As with my last purchase, I bought to bundles of 500 sheets apiece. I was pleased to find exactly what I was looking for at the front of the store and on sale.
-Several days ago signs appeared indicating that the McGill director of libraries is to be making an appearance at the library school this Friday. This, as some of you may know, was a somewhat surprising announcement as the relations between the library and the library school appear to be less than friendly. Students are now keenly awaiting the post-talk question and answer period, hoping that they will be able to learn why certain decisions have been made over the past number of years.
-Last night, for the first time as an employee of Thomson House I had the opportunity to work at a formal function. Though I did not know it when the shift was assigned, I was to be working a 20 year high school reunion.
After we finished the set-up I was assigned the door position. For the first 3 and a half hours of the event I just sat by the front door and directed people to the reunion and told them were they would find the coatroom. On a number of occasions I also directed individuals towards the bathrooms. Generally it was a pretty easy position, and one that cut me off from the reunion proper.
At about 10:00 I finally had an opportunity to learn about what had been happening for the previous 4 hours. Apparently, on top of not having enough of the main course, beef on sticks, the cash register broke. It seems that not all of the organizers were able to deal with these problems in stride and some of them became quite upset.
My sense was that after the food situation was sorted out things started to calm down. At least I didn’t have any problems. Though in all fairness to my co-workers, I think that I missed basically all of the problems.
-Today I started to work on my paper for my archives class. It seems that I will be doing something on the relationship of access to information laws and archives, presumably governmental archives (most probably just provincial, municipal, and national), though in some cases particular collections in other collections may deserve attention.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 126
-Today is slightly overcast, but generally pleasant. The temperature is that of a nice fall day, which is rather appropriate as we are in the heart of fall.
-It seems that Thomson House did not attach my prize from the Halloween party staff costume contest to my most recent paycheque. I had really been hoping that I would find a nice additional component with this cheque.
-Work went relatively smoothly last night, though we weren’t as timely in our departure because of a banquet that was taking place in the ballroom. Amazingly, though many kegs were on the low side none blew all night.
-Tonight I will be working my first formal function, a high school reunion dinner and dance for 100 people. As of right now I am not really sure what to expect, aside from a huge number of dishes. I had been hoping that it wouldn’t be a late night, but it being a high school reunion may mean that this is not the case.
-In preparation for today’s formal shift I had to purchase a black shirt, which we are required to wear for such events. As I have not had to purchase all that much clothing in Montreal I really had no idea where to go for such a thing. A co-worker suggested a thrift store on St. Laurent, near Mont Royal.
As I rode north on St. Laurent I was shocked to see a store with a line up of about 45 people outside it doors. After a brief inspection of the area I determined that this was in fact the store that I had been hoping to visit. Though not particularly keen on the idea of waiting in line to enter a thrift store, I eventually joined the line. As I entered the line I noticed that there was a cameraman filming the line for CBC (or the French equivalent). After a few minutes and only a slight amount of progress I decided that I could not spend 45 minutes in line without a guarantee that I would find what I needed.
My next step was to ride from my current location to Place Alexis Nihon and try to find a black shirt in one of the many stores there. It seemed that either Zellers or Winners could be stores that would have such an item, and if they didn’t there would surely be something.
As it turned out, not only did Zellers have black shirts but also they were on sale for 40% off. This means that I was able to purchase a new shirt for less than $9. Unfortunately, I then decided to check out a display in the back of the store and ended up making a $24 impulse buy (though I think it can be defended as an amazing deal).
-It seems that Thomson House did not attach my prize from the Halloween party staff costume contest to my most recent paycheque. I had really been hoping that I would find a nice additional component with this cheque.
-Work went relatively smoothly last night, though we weren’t as timely in our departure because of a banquet that was taking place in the ballroom. Amazingly, though many kegs were on the low side none blew all night.
-Tonight I will be working my first formal function, a high school reunion dinner and dance for 100 people. As of right now I am not really sure what to expect, aside from a huge number of dishes. I had been hoping that it wouldn’t be a late night, but it being a high school reunion may mean that this is not the case.
-In preparation for today’s formal shift I had to purchase a black shirt, which we are required to wear for such events. As I have not had to purchase all that much clothing in Montreal I really had no idea where to go for such a thing. A co-worker suggested a thrift store on St. Laurent, near Mont Royal.
As I rode north on St. Laurent I was shocked to see a store with a line up of about 45 people outside it doors. After a brief inspection of the area I determined that this was in fact the store that I had been hoping to visit. Though not particularly keen on the idea of waiting in line to enter a thrift store, I eventually joined the line. As I entered the line I noticed that there was a cameraman filming the line for CBC (or the French equivalent). After a few minutes and only a slight amount of progress I decided that I could not spend 45 minutes in line without a guarantee that I would find what I needed.
My next step was to ride from my current location to Place Alexis Nihon and try to find a black shirt in one of the many stores there. It seemed that either Zellers or Winners could be stores that would have such an item, and if they didn’t there would surely be something.
As it turned out, not only did Zellers have black shirts but also they were on sale for 40% off. This means that I was able to purchase a new shirt for less than $9. Unfortunately, I then decided to check out a display in the back of the store and ended up making a $24 impulse buy (though I think it can be defended as an amazing deal).
Monday, October 29, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 125
-Over the past few days temperatures have really started to drop in Montreal. Actually, just last night, for the time of the season, I was able to see my breath. Fortunately, the rain of a few days ago has let up and we are having a stretch of pleasant fall weather.
-The Thomson House Halloween party seemed to go relatively well, though the general consensus was that it wasn’t as busy as last year (even though we sold more tickets). This was backed up by tip rates, which were certainly lower than last year.
For the evening I was assigned door duties along with Nick. Each of us was supplied with a counter and he counted each time a person came in will I counted each time a person left. At peak times we had a difference of about 400 hundred in our counts, indicating that we had about 400 partygoers.
Along with counting, Nick and I were also responsible for admitting only those with tickets. Unfortunately, it seems that some people did not know that a pre-purchased ticket was mandatory. This meant that several well-costumed individuals were turned away at the door.
It also seems that I won the competition for best staff costume. Apparently there is some prize money, but I haven’t received anything yet.
-Our apartment door was getting quite bad this morning. It was so bad that it took me about ten minutes to open it, and I was only able to open it with the assistance of a knife. After my departure Nithum was able to contact the building manager and they sent someone to fix the problem.
-Today I started working on a project for which I was hired about two weeks ago. My primary task for the time being is to locate and copy a series of reports, with the eventual goal being an analysis of their contents. For much of the three hours I spend working today I was just familiarizing myself with the previously completed work and making changes to the tables outlining which documents in the series we actually have (as it seems that there are a number that we have that were not noted).
-I have been a bit lax on the blogging front the past few days because of school work. Hopefully in the next few weeks I will do a better job at managing my time so that I don’t have such a glut of work (though to some extent this is not avoidable because I only receive assignments a limited amount of time before they are due).
-The Thomson House Halloween party seemed to go relatively well, though the general consensus was that it wasn’t as busy as last year (even though we sold more tickets). This was backed up by tip rates, which were certainly lower than last year.
For the evening I was assigned door duties along with Nick. Each of us was supplied with a counter and he counted each time a person came in will I counted each time a person left. At peak times we had a difference of about 400 hundred in our counts, indicating that we had about 400 partygoers.
Along with counting, Nick and I were also responsible for admitting only those with tickets. Unfortunately, it seems that some people did not know that a pre-purchased ticket was mandatory. This meant that several well-costumed individuals were turned away at the door.
It also seems that I won the competition for best staff costume. Apparently there is some prize money, but I haven’t received anything yet.
-Our apartment door was getting quite bad this morning. It was so bad that it took me about ten minutes to open it, and I was only able to open it with the assistance of a knife. After my departure Nithum was able to contact the building manager and they sent someone to fix the problem.
-Today I started working on a project for which I was hired about two weeks ago. My primary task for the time being is to locate and copy a series of reports, with the eventual goal being an analysis of their contents. For much of the three hours I spend working today I was just familiarizing myself with the previously completed work and making changes to the tables outlining which documents in the series we actually have (as it seems that there are a number that we have that were not noted).
-I have been a bit lax on the blogging front the past few days because of school work. Hopefully in the next few weeks I will do a better job at managing my time so that I don’t have such a glut of work (though to some extent this is not avoidable because I only receive assignments a limited amount of time before they are due).
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Hasta Luego Halifax
My time in Halifax is now drawing near a close. Within a few hours I should be on a bus heading out to the airport for a late night flight back to Montreal and a busy weekend of busing.
Fortunately, I am trying to take advantage of these last hours in Halifax as they could be the last hours here for some time. This morning I was able to go for a stroll along Spring Garden Road and locate the general area in which I need to catch my bus to the airport. Afterwards I was able to take a nice was to and then through Point Pleasant Park. As the name suggests, the area is quite pleasant and a nice place for a leisurely stroll.
Unfortunately after the trip to the park my degree of creativity hit a low point and I returned to Neil's apartment where I continued to read a book about Richard Feynman (which also happens to be by Richard Feynman). Luckily my Halifax creativity struck again, this time as interpreted though the hinternet. Basically, I started surfing around Dalhousie and Dalhousie-related web pages and the library catalogue. The only downside was that I was not able to access the full range of library resources, even though I am using a university supplied hinternet connection. This relatively brief process helped me find some very useful information that I hope to act on in the coming days, weeks, and months.
As I have not completed my packing this is likely where my energy should be focused. Though, as usual, the siren call of the hinternet seems to be pulling towards the glories of blogging and away from filling my suitcase with dirty clothes and White Swan toilet paper.
Actually I am going to be strong and step away now.
Next stop, Montreal.
Fortunately, I am trying to take advantage of these last hours in Halifax as they could be the last hours here for some time. This morning I was able to go for a stroll along Spring Garden Road and locate the general area in which I need to catch my bus to the airport. Afterwards I was able to take a nice was to and then through Point Pleasant Park. As the name suggests, the area is quite pleasant and a nice place for a leisurely stroll.
Unfortunately after the trip to the park my degree of creativity hit a low point and I returned to Neil's apartment where I continued to read a book about Richard Feynman (which also happens to be by Richard Feynman). Luckily my Halifax creativity struck again, this time as interpreted though the hinternet. Basically, I started surfing around Dalhousie and Dalhousie-related web pages and the library catalogue. The only downside was that I was not able to access the full range of library resources, even though I am using a university supplied hinternet connection. This relatively brief process helped me find some very useful information that I hope to act on in the coming days, weeks, and months.
As I have not completed my packing this is likely where my energy should be focused. Though, as usual, the siren call of the hinternet seems to be pulling towards the glories of blogging and away from filling my suitcase with dirty clothes and White Swan toilet paper.
Actually I am going to be strong and step away now.
Next stop, Montreal.
Rainy Atlanta
As a four-year-old might say, I 'raced' Cameron to Georgia. I'm now settled in at the Holiday Inn Express in Carrollton, GA. If you happen to read this, and you'll be seeing me within the next few days lookout for really bad "but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night" jokes.
I'm here to go to INTEGERS 2007, a math conference being hosted by the University of West Georgia. Tomorrow afternoon I will give a talk roughly covering half of what I did for my Masters thesis. I hope it goes well. At worst, it'll only be bad for 20 minutes.
My computer is telling me that it's 2:48 ADT, so I should probably be tired enough to get to bed.
I'm here to go to INTEGERS 2007, a math conference being hosted by the University of West Georgia. Tomorrow afternoon I will give a talk roughly covering half of what I did for my Masters thesis. I hope it goes well. At worst, it'll only be bad for 20 minutes.
My computer is telling me that it's 2:48 ADT, so I should probably be tired enough to get to bed.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Halifax Update
So I have been in Halifax since Saturday evening. So far things have been going relatively well. The main reason for the trip was to see Neil's convocation ceremony, an event which took place on Sunday afternoon.
Since this event things have generally been pretty relaxed. One of the more explicitly exciting events to occur was that Neil and I ended up attending a reading by Brian Mulroney at the Lord Nelson Hotel last night. This ended up happening only because we happened to walk by the book store hosting the event and see that they still had a few tickets left. The general assessment of the event was that it was much more enjoyable than either of us expected.
While I have been here I have also been able to walk around Dalhousie a little. One of the places I wanted to see was the library school, now called the School of Information Management. Once Rebecca and I found the place we were surprised to see how small it was. Also, it wasn't a very welcoming location as one had to walk through the office to access the classrooms. Not surprisingly we did not take this next step and just admired the facilities from the atrium.
Afterwards I decided to check out the library, or at least the main library. All in all I was pretty pleased, though there were a few places in the microfilm section that were on the tight side. Actually, they were so tight that a person in a wheelchair certainly couldn't access them, and I wouldn't be surprised if a few larger individuals also couldn't access them. Another element that I found a bit strange was that the Z section of the reference section seemed a bit small. Maybe they placed many of the library related materials in the stacks instead of in the reference section.
Generally Dal seems to have fewer hipsters, something that is quite nice. It seems that McGill is infested, something that I occasionally find it hard to deal with. Dal also has a nicer campus feel, even though McGill does have a pretty clearly defined campus. It also seems that the buildings are also nicer on the inside, a problem that I have frequently noticed at McGill.
Anyway, I guess I should get back to my trip.
Since this event things have generally been pretty relaxed. One of the more explicitly exciting events to occur was that Neil and I ended up attending a reading by Brian Mulroney at the Lord Nelson Hotel last night. This ended up happening only because we happened to walk by the book store hosting the event and see that they still had a few tickets left. The general assessment of the event was that it was much more enjoyable than either of us expected.
While I have been here I have also been able to walk around Dalhousie a little. One of the places I wanted to see was the library school, now called the School of Information Management. Once Rebecca and I found the place we were surprised to see how small it was. Also, it wasn't a very welcoming location as one had to walk through the office to access the classrooms. Not surprisingly we did not take this next step and just admired the facilities from the atrium.
Afterwards I decided to check out the library, or at least the main library. All in all I was pretty pleased, though there were a few places in the microfilm section that were on the tight side. Actually, they were so tight that a person in a wheelchair certainly couldn't access them, and I wouldn't be surprised if a few larger individuals also couldn't access them. Another element that I found a bit strange was that the Z section of the reference section seemed a bit small. Maybe they placed many of the library related materials in the stacks instead of in the reference section.
Generally Dal seems to have fewer hipsters, something that is quite nice. It seems that McGill is infested, something that I occasionally find it hard to deal with. Dal also has a nicer campus feel, even though McGill does have a pretty clearly defined campus. It also seems that the buildings are also nicer on the inside, a problem that I have frequently noticed at McGill.
Anyway, I guess I should get back to my trip.
Friday, October 19, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 124
-The temperature has been somewhat higher for the past few days. It was so hot this morning that I was sitting on the balcony reading my paper in a tee-shirt and shorts. Actually, I heard that the expected high is to be 25. Unfortunately, these high temperatures are to be accompanied by severe thunderstorms starting this afternoon.
-In cataloging class on Wednesday 10 Library of Congress schedules were presented by members of the class. I was responsible for presenting on D-DJ, general history and European history.
Prior to the presentations it had been made clear to us that we would be timed and have an absolute maximum of ten minutes. Within several minutes of the commencement of the first presentation it became very clear that we were being time, a beeping noise kept coming from a timer in front of the professor. It was clear that this beeping meant something, but exactly what was not immediately clear. My sense, and I believe that the rest of the class felt the same way, was that the beeps were bad and likely an indicator of the 10 minute mark.
While I was giving my presentation I thought that I was on pace for an 8 minute presentation, which is where I wanted to be. I heard my first beep, thinking that I had already reached 10 minutes, and sped up, covering the rest of the presentation in about a minute.
As we learned afterwards, the beeping indicated 5 minutes, meaning that I was basically on pace and could have comfortably finished all I needed to say without fear of going over time. Hopefully this new knowledge will lead to a smoother round of presentations in two weeks when we get the next batch of 10 (when I will presenting the J, or Political Science, schedule).
-Shortly after I moved to Montreal last August I bought a multi-pack of cheap knives. With a cutting board and sharpening rod the whole package came in at less than $10. Not surprisingly, these weren’t really the best knives in the world, actually they were barely passable as knives.
This year I decided that I would take a step forward and buy a good, or at least passable, knife. I ended up with a $20 Ikea knife, with which I have been generally quite pleased. When I first opened the knife I read the care instructions and learned that the knife should not be kept sharp with a stainless steel sharpener, but with a ceramic sharpener. The problem this presented is that my knife sharpener is entirely stainless steel, and therefore not suitable for the job.
While I could tell this would be a slight inconvenience, I didn’t think it would be all that bad. I would just head out and pick up a ceramic knife sharpener at the next opportunity.
As it turned out, that next opportunity was yesterday. While at a kitchen store I learned that while knife sharpeners are expensive, ceramic knife sharpeners are obscenely expensive. They wanted $54 for a ceramic knife sharpener, something that was a little outside of my spending range (though I might have been suckered in for $40).
Maybe I will see about getting something at Lee Valley while I am in Halifax. They seem to have such sharpeners for only about $23.
-The previous note would suggest that I am heading to Halifax. I will be heading out on Saturday and returning on Wednesday. The reason for the trip is to attend Neil’s convocation ceremony.
-A few days ago I was hired as a research assistant for a project at McGill. Aside from the work being more in my area of interest, I will also be able to drop my Thursday night busing shift. Though for all of my loyal fans, I will continue to bus on Friday nights.
-While heading to school yesterday I noticed a TV truck outside a local chain coffee shop. On my way back from school, I noticed more TV trucks and protestors. Though I did not know it until I approached them, they were protesting the lack of French on the chain’s signs. It is interesting to note that a brief story on the protest appeared in today’s Globe and Main.
-It appears that today McGill will be starting a very large fundraising drive. To commence the drive they have erected a massive series of tents on the playing fields in front of the McLennan library. My thought was that if a university can afford to set up a tent village for a week maybe they don’t need hundreds of millions of dollars. Or if they do need hundreds of millions of dollars maybe they shouldn’t set up a tent city (particularly when I am using library resources that are 20 years out of date).
-In cataloging class on Wednesday 10 Library of Congress schedules were presented by members of the class. I was responsible for presenting on D-DJ, general history and European history.
Prior to the presentations it had been made clear to us that we would be timed and have an absolute maximum of ten minutes. Within several minutes of the commencement of the first presentation it became very clear that we were being time, a beeping noise kept coming from a timer in front of the professor. It was clear that this beeping meant something, but exactly what was not immediately clear. My sense, and I believe that the rest of the class felt the same way, was that the beeps were bad and likely an indicator of the 10 minute mark.
While I was giving my presentation I thought that I was on pace for an 8 minute presentation, which is where I wanted to be. I heard my first beep, thinking that I had already reached 10 minutes, and sped up, covering the rest of the presentation in about a minute.
As we learned afterwards, the beeping indicated 5 minutes, meaning that I was basically on pace and could have comfortably finished all I needed to say without fear of going over time. Hopefully this new knowledge will lead to a smoother round of presentations in two weeks when we get the next batch of 10 (when I will presenting the J, or Political Science, schedule).
-Shortly after I moved to Montreal last August I bought a multi-pack of cheap knives. With a cutting board and sharpening rod the whole package came in at less than $10. Not surprisingly, these weren’t really the best knives in the world, actually they were barely passable as knives.
This year I decided that I would take a step forward and buy a good, or at least passable, knife. I ended up with a $20 Ikea knife, with which I have been generally quite pleased. When I first opened the knife I read the care instructions and learned that the knife should not be kept sharp with a stainless steel sharpener, but with a ceramic sharpener. The problem this presented is that my knife sharpener is entirely stainless steel, and therefore not suitable for the job.
While I could tell this would be a slight inconvenience, I didn’t think it would be all that bad. I would just head out and pick up a ceramic knife sharpener at the next opportunity.
As it turned out, that next opportunity was yesterday. While at a kitchen store I learned that while knife sharpeners are expensive, ceramic knife sharpeners are obscenely expensive. They wanted $54 for a ceramic knife sharpener, something that was a little outside of my spending range (though I might have been suckered in for $40).
Maybe I will see about getting something at Lee Valley while I am in Halifax. They seem to have such sharpeners for only about $23.
-The previous note would suggest that I am heading to Halifax. I will be heading out on Saturday and returning on Wednesday. The reason for the trip is to attend Neil’s convocation ceremony.
-A few days ago I was hired as a research assistant for a project at McGill. Aside from the work being more in my area of interest, I will also be able to drop my Thursday night busing shift. Though for all of my loyal fans, I will continue to bus on Friday nights.
-While heading to school yesterday I noticed a TV truck outside a local chain coffee shop. On my way back from school, I noticed more TV trucks and protestors. Though I did not know it until I approached them, they were protesting the lack of French on the chain’s signs. It is interesting to note that a brief story on the protest appeared in today’s Globe and Main.
-It appears that today McGill will be starting a very large fundraising drive. To commence the drive they have erected a massive series of tents on the playing fields in front of the McLennan library. My thought was that if a university can afford to set up a tent village for a week maybe they don’t need hundreds of millions of dollars. Or if they do need hundreds of millions of dollars maybe they shouldn’t set up a tent city (particularly when I am using library resources that are 20 years out of date).
Sunday, October 14, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 123
-Today has been another overcast day, though with less rain than yesterday. The only good thing about the weather is that the temperatures have been appropriately autumnal.
-Last night I played a game of ultimate as a replacement player. Many on the team, including Nithum, were unable to make the game. Actually so few people were able to make it that we were forced to play with six rather than seven people
Strangely, for the first point, the only time the other team played seven, we were able to hold the opposing team off for several minutes more than we were able to on any of their other points.
-On Friday night a few of the library school types were at Thomson House for a while. Unfortunately it seems that general stamina has diminished since last year as almost everyone was gone by 10:00 when I punched out.
-After Thomson House I joined the few remaining individuals on their trip to a party. Though one of the ideas was to meet some of the new students, this didn’t really happen. For the most part I spent time with the people that I already knew.
-Last night was attended Ren’s birthday celebrations at the Cock’n’Bull bar/pub. It was an enjoyable evening. I was also pleased to find that the pitchers were reasonably priced.
-Last night I played a game of ultimate as a replacement player. Many on the team, including Nithum, were unable to make the game. Actually so few people were able to make it that we were forced to play with six rather than seven people
Strangely, for the first point, the only time the other team played seven, we were able to hold the opposing team off for several minutes more than we were able to on any of their other points.
-On Friday night a few of the library school types were at Thomson House for a while. Unfortunately it seems that general stamina has diminished since last year as almost everyone was gone by 10:00 when I punched out.
-After Thomson House I joined the few remaining individuals on their trip to a party. Though one of the ideas was to meet some of the new students, this didn’t really happen. For the most part I spent time with the people that I already knew.
-Last night was attended Ren’s birthday celebrations at the Cock’n’Bull bar/pub. It was an enjoyable evening. I was also pleased to find that the pitchers were reasonably priced.
Friday, October 12, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 122
-For the past few days we have been making up for the lack of rain we had in September. Skies have been generally overcast with intermittent rain.
-The heaters have been turned on in my building. This means that even with windows open I am uncomfortably hot. I wonder if we live in a building that heats at a uniform level all year, or if the level of heating is adjusted to outside temperatures.
-Moments ago I bought our apartment’s first plant, a basil plant. Hopefully in the coming weeks and months we can develop this trend, though I have no idea where this or any other plant might go. And as I like my plants to either bare fruit or be edible my options are more limited.
-As of a day or two ago McGill has changed there email service in such a way that no longer allows me to import my messages to my Gmail inbox. The reason is supposedly security. A more reasonable explanation might be that things were to easy before, students should need to work to access any ‘official’ communication.
-Tonight is another work night. Fortunately I should be able to punch out early and have a few drinks with the library school types, or at least those that are still there at 10:30 or so.
-The heaters have been turned on in my building. This means that even with windows open I am uncomfortably hot. I wonder if we live in a building that heats at a uniform level all year, or if the level of heating is adjusted to outside temperatures.
-Moments ago I bought our apartment’s first plant, a basil plant. Hopefully in the coming weeks and months we can develop this trend, though I have no idea where this or any other plant might go. And as I like my plants to either bare fruit or be edible my options are more limited.
-As of a day or two ago McGill has changed there email service in such a way that no longer allows me to import my messages to my Gmail inbox. The reason is supposedly security. A more reasonable explanation might be that things were to easy before, students should need to work to access any ‘official’ communication.
-Tonight is another work night. Fortunately I should be able to punch out early and have a few drinks with the library school types, or at least those that are still there at 10:30 or so.
Monday, October 08, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 121
-Today has been another overcast and cool day. Though that does not mean it has been unpleasant. Hopefully the grey skies don’t mean that we are in for rain in the very near future.
-As many of you may know, today is the statutory Thanksgiving holiday. As some of you may also know, I generally have Mondays off. I guess what is surprising about today is that it really feels like a holiday weekend, even though it is basically the same as my typical weekend.
-While on a walk today I saw what might have been my first dog sled. The sled, without dogs, was strapped to a mini-van heading north on St. Laurent.
-If anyone has any ideas for a costume that I can wear to Thomson House for the Halloween party I would be appreciative. So far all of my ideas haven’t really been that great.
-This morning for breakfast I had something that was approaching what my uncle would call a ‘Big American Breakfast.’ Unfortunately, as I did not have a fried potato product I did not meet the qualifications. I did have scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon, making a pretty unhealthy meal.
-Much to my surprise, I was able to get down to work and finish a variety of assignment for my business and government information classes. Typically when I set such schedules for myself I fall flat on my face and accomplish next to nothing. Hopefully this means I am turning a new leaf and will be able to maintain or improve upon this standard in the future.
-As many of you may know, today is the statutory Thanksgiving holiday. As some of you may also know, I generally have Mondays off. I guess what is surprising about today is that it really feels like a holiday weekend, even though it is basically the same as my typical weekend.
-While on a walk today I saw what might have been my first dog sled. The sled, without dogs, was strapped to a mini-van heading north on St. Laurent.
-If anyone has any ideas for a costume that I can wear to Thomson House for the Halloween party I would be appreciative. So far all of my ideas haven’t really been that great.
-This morning for breakfast I had something that was approaching what my uncle would call a ‘Big American Breakfast.’ Unfortunately, as I did not have a fried potato product I did not meet the qualifications. I did have scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon, making a pretty unhealthy meal.
-Much to my surprise, I was able to get down to work and finish a variety of assignment for my business and government information classes. Typically when I set such schedules for myself I fall flat on my face and accomplish next to nothing. Hopefully this means I am turning a new leaf and will be able to maintain or improve upon this standard in the future.
Sunday, October 07, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 120
-The weather today has been less than perfect. Aside from being on the cold side we have also had several periods of rain.
-Prior to my departure for St. John’s this spring I had been having problems with my computer speakers. It seems that transporting them to England and back, and then to Montreal and back may not have done them any good. Anyways, I realized that I would need to buy a new set, but had been too lazy to actually do so until this Thursday.
Though I was originally shopping for CD-Rs, when I saw a set of speakers with a subwoofer for $25 I decided to add them to my purchases. As this was within my originally decided upon price range I was excited to acquire the small subwoofer, something that seemed like a bonus item.
So far I have been pretty pleased, though I think that the sound quality is definitely a step down from my last set of speakers. Also, the subwoofer is funnier than it is essential. The only frustrating aspect of the new equipment is that the various cables and wires are shorter than I am used to. This means that the speakers can’t be as far apart as I might like, nor can they be as far away from the data source as I would like.
-While this pre-Thanksgiving Friday was busier than last year, it was still pretty dead. I was able to leave shortly before 10:00 PM, which was quite nice as I was very tired.
-As I was able to leave work early I hoped to be able to get to sleep earlier than normal and then get up early so that I would be able to maximize the amount of time that I could spend at the library and working on a range of school-related tasks.
I was somewhat surprised to wake up and learn that it was after 11:00 AM. This occurrence was particularly surprising, as I had set the alarm to go off shortly after 9:00 AM. Upon inspection I learned that instead of setting the alarm 12 hours off, as is my usual problem, the radio volume had been turned off. Fortunately, as I was well rested I managed to get going more quickly than normal and accomplished a reasonable amount of work.
-Since arriving in Montreal I have tried to buy my coffee at La Vielle Europe both because I have enjoyed their product but also to support a local business. Unfortunately a few days ago my supply ran out and I knew that I didn’t have time to make the trip up St. Laurent.
While shopping at Lobos I noticed that they had a range of coffee for what seemed like reasonable prices. I chose what I thought would be the most mundane and least exotic of their coffees. What I ended up with claimed to be both Brazilian and “Made in Lebanon,” a contradiction that I didn’t make much of at the time.
Shortly after returning I began to prepare to brew my first batch of the new coffee. My first realization was that the coffee was very finely ground, a feature that was not made apparent on the packaging, and something that typically doesn’t work well with my percolator.
Once the coffee finished brewing I noticed that the smell wasn’t quite what I was used to, actually it didn’t really smell like coffee at all. The taste wasn’t much better. The only aspect of the new coffee that resembled coffee that I am used to was the colour, a dark, full-bodied brown.
Today I decided that I would move onto a more traditional coffee and purchased can of a name brand pre-ground coffee. Surprisingly, the name brand was cheaper than the store brand, and the deciding factor in my purchase. Fortunately, this second purchase was much closer to what I was looking for. Maybe in the next few days I will be able to make it back to La Vielle Europe to buy more of their product.
-Upon returning from the library this afternoon I started preparing food. I started with a pie, making the crust and obtaining the filling from a can. The extra crust was used to make cinnamon rolls.
Once the pie was in the oven I started to scramble some ground beef.
While the beef was cooking I started making a cranberry salad.
Once the beef finished cooking I removed what I would need for pinwheels and turned the rest into taco meat.
The pinwheels were the final dish of the evening, as well as what I consumed for dinner. As a late night snack I may have a piece or two of the pie.
-Prior to my departure for St. John’s this spring I had been having problems with my computer speakers. It seems that transporting them to England and back, and then to Montreal and back may not have done them any good. Anyways, I realized that I would need to buy a new set, but had been too lazy to actually do so until this Thursday.
Though I was originally shopping for CD-Rs, when I saw a set of speakers with a subwoofer for $25 I decided to add them to my purchases. As this was within my originally decided upon price range I was excited to acquire the small subwoofer, something that seemed like a bonus item.
So far I have been pretty pleased, though I think that the sound quality is definitely a step down from my last set of speakers. Also, the subwoofer is funnier than it is essential. The only frustrating aspect of the new equipment is that the various cables and wires are shorter than I am used to. This means that the speakers can’t be as far apart as I might like, nor can they be as far away from the data source as I would like.
-While this pre-Thanksgiving Friday was busier than last year, it was still pretty dead. I was able to leave shortly before 10:00 PM, which was quite nice as I was very tired.
-As I was able to leave work early I hoped to be able to get to sleep earlier than normal and then get up early so that I would be able to maximize the amount of time that I could spend at the library and working on a range of school-related tasks.
I was somewhat surprised to wake up and learn that it was after 11:00 AM. This occurrence was particularly surprising, as I had set the alarm to go off shortly after 9:00 AM. Upon inspection I learned that instead of setting the alarm 12 hours off, as is my usual problem, the radio volume had been turned off. Fortunately, as I was well rested I managed to get going more quickly than normal and accomplished a reasonable amount of work.
-Since arriving in Montreal I have tried to buy my coffee at La Vielle Europe both because I have enjoyed their product but also to support a local business. Unfortunately a few days ago my supply ran out and I knew that I didn’t have time to make the trip up St. Laurent.
While shopping at Lobos I noticed that they had a range of coffee for what seemed like reasonable prices. I chose what I thought would be the most mundane and least exotic of their coffees. What I ended up with claimed to be both Brazilian and “Made in Lebanon,” a contradiction that I didn’t make much of at the time.
Shortly after returning I began to prepare to brew my first batch of the new coffee. My first realization was that the coffee was very finely ground, a feature that was not made apparent on the packaging, and something that typically doesn’t work well with my percolator.
Once the coffee finished brewing I noticed that the smell wasn’t quite what I was used to, actually it didn’t really smell like coffee at all. The taste wasn’t much better. The only aspect of the new coffee that resembled coffee that I am used to was the colour, a dark, full-bodied brown.
Today I decided that I would move onto a more traditional coffee and purchased can of a name brand pre-ground coffee. Surprisingly, the name brand was cheaper than the store brand, and the deciding factor in my purchase. Fortunately, this second purchase was much closer to what I was looking for. Maybe in the next few days I will be able to make it back to La Vielle Europe to buy more of their product.
-Upon returning from the library this afternoon I started preparing food. I started with a pie, making the crust and obtaining the filling from a can. The extra crust was used to make cinnamon rolls.
Once the pie was in the oven I started to scramble some ground beef.
While the beef was cooking I started making a cranberry salad.
Once the beef finished cooking I removed what I would need for pinwheels and turned the rest into taco meat.
The pinwheels were the final dish of the evening, as well as what I consumed for dinner. As a late night snack I may have a piece or two of the pie.
Friday, October 05, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 119
-The weather continues to be incredible in Montreal. We are experiencing what must be unseasonably high temperatures with clear skies and little wind. For the most part, if I could request a particular type of weather it would be like this.
-Yesterday marked the beginning of another two-day stretch of work. Fortunately, because of an Oktoberfest themed night, I was able to wear shorts to work (though it also meant that I got to wear knee-high wool socks). Actually, for the following two Thursdays I will also be able to wear shorts to work.
-No serious mouse action in recent days, though all of the traps seem to have been sprung (presumably because of furniture re-arrangement). Hopefully we haven’t missed any of the vermin because of this weakening of defenses.
-Last weekend I attended an antiquarian book fair in Montreal. Amazingly, there wasn’t really anything that I was all that interested in buying. I guess I feel that my 2003 edition of Sherlock Holmes will satisfy my needs just as much or more than the $3500 first edition.
-In the past few days I have finally started to ride my bike again, and it has been great. I am not sure why I continually forget how much I enjoy riding my bike.
-Yesterday I sent a package to a friend in St. John’s. Unfortunately, the shipping cost was about twice as much as what I had originally paid for the item that was being shipped. Now that I know how much it costs to ship parcels I will have to be more careful about such things in the future.
-Yesterday marked the beginning of another two-day stretch of work. Fortunately, because of an Oktoberfest themed night, I was able to wear shorts to work (though it also meant that I got to wear knee-high wool socks). Actually, for the following two Thursdays I will also be able to wear shorts to work.
-No serious mouse action in recent days, though all of the traps seem to have been sprung (presumably because of furniture re-arrangement). Hopefully we haven’t missed any of the vermin because of this weakening of defenses.
-Last weekend I attended an antiquarian book fair in Montreal. Amazingly, there wasn’t really anything that I was all that interested in buying. I guess I feel that my 2003 edition of Sherlock Holmes will satisfy my needs just as much or more than the $3500 first edition.
-In the past few days I have finally started to ride my bike again, and it has been great. I am not sure why I continually forget how much I enjoy riding my bike.
-Yesterday I sent a package to a friend in St. John’s. Unfortunately, the shipping cost was about twice as much as what I had originally paid for the item that was being shipped. Now that I know how much it costs to ship parcels I will have to be more careful about such things in the future.
First Anniversary
A year ago today Neil made the first post on Montifax, we are now approaching 300 posts. It seems that in some months, such as those first few, we were posting pretty heavily. In more recent months we seem to have slowed down a little.
I don’t have any big pronouncements about the future of Montifax or anything exciting like that; it was just that I noticed that it was a year old as of today.
Hope you have enjoyed it so far and continue to enjoy each new post.
I don’t have any big pronouncements about the future of Montifax or anything exciting like that; it was just that I noticed that it was a year old as of today.
Hope you have enjoyed it so far and continue to enjoy each new post.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Crap
On Tuesday night I was quite pleased with myself. I had submitted a business information lab and was pleased at how well my answers compared with those provided by the instructor. In particular, I was satisfied with the information that I had found for the final question, particularly as it came from a different source than the possible answer provided by the instructor.
Today, while going through some papers while looking for a government documents lab I came across some suspicious looking documents. It turns out that I somehow managed not to staple the final question to the document I eventually submitted.
Hopefully I will be able to submit the answer to the final question, though I guess I will have to wait and see. If I am not able to submit this answer it would be somewhat ironic, as it was the answer that took me the most time to compile.
Today, while going through some papers while looking for a government documents lab I came across some suspicious looking documents. It turns out that I somehow managed not to staple the final question to the document I eventually submitted.
Hopefully I will be able to submit the answer to the final question, though I guess I will have to wait and see. If I am not able to submit this answer it would be somewhat ironic, as it was the answer that took me the most time to compile.
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